Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV dies in Prague on November 29, 1378, having procured the election of his own son Vaclav, or Wenceslas, to succeed him—the first imperial father-son succession since the Hohenstaufen period.

Vaclav/Wenceslas, although possessed of some ability, also has grave defects, particularly a weakness for alcohol.

The empire faces serious problems, such as the independence of the towns and the depredations of the petty nobility, but Wenceslas will become distracted by controversies provoked by his brothers Sigismund/Zsigmond of Luxembourg and John of Gorlitz and his cousin Jobst of Moravia, as well as by the papal schism that began earlier in this year.